


Did You Ever Wonder...?

by Cat2000



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 00:54:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29709171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cat2000/pseuds/Cat2000
Summary: Disclaimer: I don’t own anything from the television series The Umbrella Academy and I’m not making any money from this ficSummary: With a somewhat clearer mind than usual, Klaus is curious about the fact that Ben has aged along with him
Kudos: 9
Collections: Froday Flash Fiction Fandom Battle





	Did You Ever Wonder...?

**Author's Note:**

> Warning(s): Spoilers for season one of The Umbrella Academy; minor spoilers for season two; references to violence and canon character death; dysfunctional family

“Did you ever wonder how you got to be old?” Klaus asked the question suddenly as he lounged on the couch, sunglasses half-slid down his nose. For once, he didn’t have any of his followers in the room with him, so he could talk freely to his brother without having to think up an excuse as to who he was talking to. Not that his followers would question him out loud, of course, but he often noticed the curious looks they’d give him when he did talk to Ben. Or one of the other dead. And when he was feeling particularly magnanimous, he’d sometimes make up stories that really had nothing to do with who he was talking to.

“I’m not old,” Ben protested, sounding injured. “If _I’m_ old, _you’re_ old.”

“You know what I mean.” Klaus peered at his brother over the top of his sunglasses. “I don’t know why I never thought about it before. But you haven’t stayed the same age you were when you died. Are you growing the same rate that I am? Cause that’s gonna suck when I’m an old man. I know you won’t feel the pains of growing old, but it’ll still suck if we’re still the same age when _I’m_ old. Right?”

Ben looked down at his own body and when he looked up at Klaus again, he was frowning, eyes narrowed in confusion. “I never thought about it before,” he admitted. “But you’re right. I’ve been aging along with you.” He leaned back against the wall and placed his hands behind his head, looking up at the ceiling. “So what are we going to do?” he asked.

Klaus shrugged and drained half of the contents of his glass, feeling a pleasant buzz from the alcohol as he swallowed it down. “What else?” he retorted. “We’ll stay here. Get rich. Be worshipped. Maybe even get over some of my daddy issues,” he muttered under his breath.

Ben seemed to hear him either way, as he said, “I think getting over any of your issues will take more than just going back in time and forming a cult.”

“It’s not a cult!” Klaus protested. “I never _asked_ for it.”

“But you never told them you _aren’t_ what they think you are.”

“I’m the closest they’ve got to it,” Klaus muttered under his breath.

Ben shook his head and sighed. “That’s not what I was talking about anyway.”

“It’s not?” Klaus waited, but when his brother didn’t elaborate, he pressed, “So what _were_ you talking about, then?”

“The rest of us are going to get here to this time eventually,” Ben said. “I can’t go far enough away from you to look for them. I’m tied to wherever you are.”

Klaus waved his hand airily. “They’ll find their way to us eventually. Or we’ll find our way to them. When it’s the right time. The universe will move towards the right path, with or without help from either of us.”

Ben stared at him for several long moments before he finally, slowly, shook his head. “I can’t tell if you’re buying your own bullshit or not.”

“It’s not bullshit!”

Ben stood up and began pacing up and down the room. “We don’t know what we’re doing here, Klaus. There’s no sign of Luther, or Five, or any of the others. And you’re running around playing sex guru instead of trying to figure out how to stop the end of the world!”

“But the world ends in 2019,” Klaus pointed out, in what he thought was a reasonable tone. “We were there when it happened. We _watched_ it happen. So until we find the others, we can just party. Enjoy life. Or death, in your case.”

Ben shook his head. “What if we change the past by coming back here, Klaus? What if things go even worse when or if we finally go back home? What if the world still ends, in spite of our best efforts to stop it?”

Klaus opened his mouth to make another jokey, sarcastic retort, but then he took note of the tone of Ben’s voice. The perpetual frown that was creasing his brother’s forehead. “Shit, you’re really worried about this.” He blinked a few times and looked longingly at the empty glass he’d set down on the table. “Maybe….” He hesitated, but the suggestion died in his throat. He couldn’t tell his brother to move on. Didn’t want Ben to leave. Selfishly wanted him to stay by his side. Even if he thought he _should_ say the words _go into the light_ …they wouldn’t leave his lips. So instead, he said, “Look, if it makes you feel any better, I’ll ask my followers to keep a look out for the others. It shouldn’t be that hard. None of them are as good at fitting in as I am.”

Ben laughed, though there was very little humour in it. “You’re not good at fitting in, Klaus. You were just lucky enough to fall in with the right people.” He hesitated. “The others might not be so lucky.”

“That’s all assuming they ended up in the same year as we did and that Five didn’t scatter us all in separate decades. Or even separate centuries,” Klaus muttered morosely.

Ben stopped pacing and eyed him. “I almost preferred you in a drugged, drunken haze.”

“I _definitely_ prefer that.” Klaus glanced at the huge window, catching a glimpse of one of his followers. He didn’t know the man’s name; didn’t really bother to learn most of their names. He’d just forget them all eventually.

Ben followed the line of his gaze and sighed. “We don’t have any privacy.”

“Like we ever did back in our time.” Klaus pushed the sunglasses back into place and pushed himself to his feet. “But you don’t have to worry, Ben. None of them will pay any attention to what I say to you.”

“No. All they’ll do is stare at you adoringly and lap up your words like they’re the water of life.” Ben shook his head. “You’re getting too caught up in all of this, Klaus. Don’t forget what we’re _really_ here for.”

Klaus waved his hand and then picked up his empty glass with the same hand. “I know what our mission is, bro. But right now…I need a drink. Another drink. Stop worrying so much, Ben, Things will fall into place. It’s _destiny_.” He didn’t wait for a response from his brother and walked to the sliding door.

Ready to return to his adoring public.

** The End **


End file.
